Pischi Days

But Wait, There's More!

So, sometimes life hands you many changes.

I took part in my first Triathlon relay. I was the biking part. My son swam, my husband ran. My butt hurt. I had not ridden a bike for more than a mile or so in years. I rode for four and...and swallowed a fly. The tri was to help cancer patients and their caregivers. We raised almost 10K Yeah! That's my Tom racing toward the finish and chasing him the recipient of the sock chronicle below. Susan came straight from the hospital (and her second round of chemo) to the race and stayed to watch all her friends and relatives swim, bike, and run. It took a lot out of her but she couldn't stay away. 

Oh...and I quit my job.

This past Thursday I learned the art of spinning on a dreidel, I mean a top whorl spindle. I drafted the fibre and I'm pleased to say that I can spin some lumpy, though yet not too uneven fibre. I receive the spindle as a gift from one of my knitting groupies. I didn't think that I would enjoy this pursuit. Wrong, its very soothing.

 

Did I mention that  I quit my job?

I signed up for a full course load at the local college because I want to become a nurse. I'm taking 10 credit hours this fall. To help keep the money coming in, I will be working in the same bakery my son works at. I can make a mean latte, fill sugar, do the creams...and I can mop a floor. 

...and I am starting a new job. I'll have time to knit, to read, to sew, to garden, and catch up on my blog roll.

I am counting my blessings, my stash, my pennies in my shrinking 401K. 

In the interim I will be knitting for Team Canada in the 2008 Ravelympics. I vacillated as to which team I should knit for. I went with my home country. The Flutter Scarf by Miriam Felton is entered in the Scarf Stroke as my event of choice. I am using KnitPicks Gloss in Sterling and hope that I can acheive gold.

I managed to finish a pair of socks in obscure yarn that's been marinating in my stash for several years. It was a gift from a friend who attend Maryland Sheep and Wool a couple of years ago. The socks will be gracing the feet of another friend. Hopefully she will find just the right penny loafers to complete the look.

The pattern Embossed Leaves  is from Interweave's Favourite Socks book. The yarn is Blue Ridge Yarns Kaleidoscope Superwash Sock Yarn. I wish that I could buy some more. It was great to knit with, smooth and springy. I made these using Lantern Moon ebony DPN's. Unfortunately I broke two needles in the process. I'm just not a luxury wood needle woman. I think that if I get my pennies saved I will invest in the Signature Arts DPN's.

Arwen is growing and I want to Viking Patterns for Knitting that will help in mitring the cables for the collar. I  am knitting away and trying to wrap my head around knitting the collar to the body in one piece. I think that it can be done. Hoods on a 50 year old, I'm just not sure. 

So, stay tuned and wish this school girl luck with her new job and her pending collar modifications.

Of Caramels and Chemo Hats

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

I have a weakness for caramels and Susan saved a precious caramel for me. Her Mum brought them all the way from Iowa, one pound of soft, sweet, buttery goodness. The little package was part of her dowry for umpteenth  trip to the hospital for treatment. I have been hunting a recipe to rival the flavour and texture ever since. I think that I have found a recipe that closely resembles the taste but not the texture. Making caramels in 80% humidity is not always a success story. The first batch turned into caramel goo, sorry, I meant sauce. I presented my "sauce" to Susan upon her arrival home from the hospital. The glass dish was accompanied by several Granny Smith apples. It was lapped up by all and sundry. I had a hit. There was one more small glass jar that I had put in the refrigerator. When the daughter of the house arrived home she, too, wanted a sample. The door was opened and we heard the crash. The sauce was history. We wore two sad faces.

Back to the sauce pan and onto the recipe. It does harden if you take the time to really boil the concoction slowly and use the thermometer. I will be cutting these up and wrapping them this afternoon.
Susan is heading out for the beach on Monday morning for her second round of a five day chemotherapy treatment. I sending her off with more caramels. Here is a link for her CarePage.

I talked about my friend  in past blog posts. She is an aspiring knitter, garter dishcloths are her specialty. We will be working on the purl stitch soon, I hope! Here she is with her trusty cat, Bella, making sure that  garter doesn't get too easy.

 

So, as it happens, Susan has lost what was her crowning glory. The hair came out overnight in large patches on her pillow. Even though we live in mind numbing heat, hair keeps the body temperate. It was time to make some hats. My first attempt was the Belliveau Cove, a crochet bucket like hat. I was not pleased with the results due to the lack of depth in the crown, too Mother Hubbard. I like the pattern, it took two hours to whip up, so I made a second version with three extra rows of shell pattern. It looks much better. The flowers are a friends creation and make the hat extra special. Suz will be in the hospital all next week. I hope she remembers to take her knitting.

 

As I was boiling the caramel concoction above, Susan was sitting in my kitchen and telling me about the overwhelming feeling of walking into these cancer centers, head spinning, fear and confusion reign supreme.  On her last stay at Cape Canaveral Hospital, she was showered with visits and cards. She told me of one patient that had been there for months and had no one and no place to go. Her daughter found this to be so sad so she came up with the idea to set up a table at the race filled with paper and art supplies for anyone who wants to make cards to take to fourth floor next week. Susan talked about how she would like to be part of a network to help those without family to provide a hand to hold, a story read aloud at bedside, or a ride to a treatment. Here is the address should you feel inclined to send a card.

Cape Canaveral Hospital
4 E/W Oncology
701 West Cocoa Beach Causeway
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

Our little town is coming together to partake in a special triathlon for cancer survivors and there caretakers. Lots of us will be racing for Susan. I know that knitters have big hearts so please just turn your thoughts south this Friday evening and send us positive energy.

Here is a recent article that ran in our local paper.

Titusville mother is one tough competitor
PATTI SPONSLER
FREELANCE

PATTI SPONSLER
FOR FLORIDA TODAY

Susan Slayman is a tough competitor -- both on a triathlon course and against cancer. One month after finishing the 2006 Family Challenge Triathlon, the Titusville mother of three was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, requiring surgical removal of a tumor in her lung.
She returned to last year's race with a new appreciation for what she could do, even though an ominous lump had appeared on her leg and the results of her biopsy were not yet known.
"I had seen an article about a man who had lost his leg to sarcoma and was still doing marathons," she said. "I thought about how grateful I was to still be able to participate in the race."
During the last few months, Slayman has undergone surgery and radiation for the sarcoma that returned to her lung, as well as her diaphragm and leg. Her July 4 holiday was spent in the hospital receiving the first of several five-day rounds of chemotherapy.
The cancer has forced her to broaden her definition of participation this year.
"I was getting a little teary-eyed and feeling sorry for myself that I will probably have to be a spectator this year instead of a participant," said Slayman. "During my quiet time, though, God showed me that out of fear or because of lack of time management or whatever reason, many of us really don't participate in many areas of our lives. We just let life and opportunities to touch others pass by."
Slayman chooses to do otherwise and will be fully engaged while encouraging those who are well enough to swim, bike and run in the Cancer Challenge Triathlon.
"I know that even as a spectator, I can choose to participate while cheering others on," she said. "Cancer is not going to stop me from participating in life, no matter what."

DuhCapo... Oh, I Meant DaCapo

I can't quite remember when I first discovered the Hanne Falkenberg sweater collection. I think that I saw the Mermaid Jacket  written and pictured in a Woolworks catalogue. Anyway, I was in love. I trawled the internet and found a treasure trove of Hanne sweaters at a Danish company that shipped overseas. I found the DaCapo and was stunned at the range of colours on offer. I couldn't resist the pink/orange/red combination. It seemed very daring, so, decision made.  Ordering from Denmark turned out to be far less expensive than buying a  kit in the US.

I remember when the box arrived and I unpacked a clear tote filled with yarn and a 2 page instruction booklet. The presentation was minimal and the yarn was  thin and coarse. I loved the packaging but was still so naive about yarn and insecure about my skills and started to wonder if I were  foolish in spending so much money on a garment that I would have to make. Did I have enough know how?
The package sat on the buffet for several weeks while I shopped for the proper size circulars. Once the needles arrived, then I procrastinated some more. One day I just decided to cast on and be damned. The sweater starts in the middle of the back with 5 stitches and grows in a mitered triangle while incorporating a clever knitted I-cord  onto the bottom edge. After countless fits and starts I was on my way.

The jacket back grew quickly in the beginning, but slowed as the triangle grew to almost 300, tiny, tiny stitches. Garter stitches galore grated on my nerves. Soon other yarns and projects seduced me and I set the jacket aside. Early on I had it on display in a variety of containers, kind of like art. It would receive some attention and then be tossed back in the bowl. I would experience guilt every time the bright colours caught my eye. Soon I jumbled the jacket and the yarn into a closed basket.

As months passed I would pull it out and in a burst of energy, knit. Soon I was at a point where the geometry and holding needles came into play along with colour changes. Setting the jacket aside for long periods caused much confusion as to where I was in the pattern. At one point I was so lost and confused that I called the company to ask for clarification. They referred me to Hanne herself. I was shocked when the phone rang and she answered. She was gracious and patiently answered my frazzled questions. The jacket was momentarily back on track. I had knit a sleeve and joined it with the rest of the jacket and knit the placket. Then, fool that I am, set the whole thing aside again. By now a few years had elapsed. I was so close.
A few weeks ago I pulled to jacket out of its basket. This thing had been on my WIP list on Ravelry for far too long. I didn't want to move it the  ZZZ section at the bottom of my projects page. I wanted to finish, no matter what. I took the jacket to our group at the bread store. I received a few skeptical looks as to the size. It looked tiny. Mary Beth had me slip on the jacket, needles, holders, and all. It looked a tad small but not hopeless. I fed off the encouragement that my fellow knitters gave me. I sped through the placket and cast on the last bit, the orange band around the collar. Once I cast off, I cheered. Unfortunately I was the only one to hear. I sewed up the sleeves, the only two seams in this ingenious design. Then I tried it on. It fit! 

Yesterday I gave it a bath and spun out the extra water in the washer. I laid it out on my butcher block and hand blocked it into shape, trained a fan onto the surface and let it dry. By dinner time it was ready for a trip through the garden.

My model is a tough critic  and her approval was all I needed to top off my pleasure. I still can't believe that I am done. Don't get me wrong, there are mistakes. I read some of the instructions incorrectly, but only an experienced Falkenberger would know.

In my haze of accomplishment, I purchased a colour card for the entire Jamieson & Smith yarn line. According to several bloggers, the Spindrift Shetland 2 ply is the perfect match in fibre and weight to knit a Falkenberg. Is there another DaCapo in my future? Who knows, they say love is better the second time around.

Monumental

Construction may be slow in the rest of the country but Atlanta is getting its bit of Paris and so am I. Well not quite Paris but a bit of European architecture.

In the spirit of July 4th and in the wake of oppressing humidity, my neighbour strolled over for a chat. As we were sitting and talking about mindless things, Tom mentioned the Millennium Gate. He read about the project  in the paper. I had not heard about it but you can read about it here and make up your own mind. Evidently the placement is less than ideal and it frames an IKEA. Well, they tried.

Since the day was slow Lisa I had the bright idea to build our own monument.  I have been the proud owner of  3 boxes of Anker building blocks that I brought back from Germany in 2001. These blocks have a long, colourful history and are based on the father of kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel's, wood blocks. I purchased these thinking that my son would enjoy them but I m the one who secretly plays with them. To me they are a box of happiness from the moment I slide back the lid and inhale the first blast of linseed oil. I never cease to marvel at the precise order each box is in, all the pieces in their place according to the drawing on the lid.

The stones are still made in the same moulds that were used in the 19th century using an original recipe of quartz, chalk, linseed oil, and natural pigments. Unfortunately the stones are a little fragile and if dropped, they chip.

 

The plans, although accurate, are not always easy to follow. This makes for quite a challenge. We chose to make the guard house out of all the pieces in all three boxes. We started out on shaky ground. The Portico was tricky and fell apart on the first two tries. Once we had the roof going, the rest came together. It took us a good hour construct our monument and we cheered when the last block was in place. Now I'm ready for box 10A. Santa, baby, I'm putting this on my on my Christmas list.